FMP: Illustration and Character Design

(WIP)

My Final Major Project is based around the construction of stories. Over the months I have been researching into the fundamentals of what creates a successful story and how it is made through the stages. I compare how mainstream productions such as Disney and Pixar produce their stories compared to the more small-time story creators like the makers of Undertale. Exploring both of these allows me to understand if the process is different due to their different budgets.

The aspiriation I have set for my FMP is to create a comic that uses these fundamentals and apply them to improve my own work. This is a beneficial usage for my chosen assignment topic because I am interested in pursuing a career in Storyboarding, Concept Art or even becoming an Animator.

If I am to apply to be any of these I must be skilled in knowing how to create engaging environments and characters; followed by an equally intriguing plot. Developing these skills now will aid me in future.

The main stages of creating a successful story is to brainstorm ideas beforehand. My initial designs were drawn on paper as thumbnails. Thumbnails are generally used by Storyboard artists to help create the right perspective or layout the story needs to presents.

The scene above is of a Cafe I drew from imagination after our class was tasked to draw with a Graphics Tablet. Having specialised in using the Tablet I decided to use this time to digitally draw my thumbnail sketch into a full A3 piece.

I then added the protagonist in the environment to give it depth. In comparison to the character the chairs and tables are too low but with Photoshop I can easily alter the size.